San Jose opens 5 cooling centers amid sweltering heat wave
SAN JOSE, Calif. - The City of San Jose Tuesday opened five cooling centers because of the record-breaking heat but warned visitors can expect new rules because of COVID-19.
The heat wave in the middle of the shelter-in-place simply meant staying home for many Bay Area residents.
"It encourages me to stay inside, turn the air conditioning on and work from home and not go out," said Fremont resident Dave O'Brien.
But finding relief is a little harder for some.
"Just trying to find a cool spot because I don't have air conditioning so either in the house with the fan or sitting out in the patio in the shade," said Fremont resident Gay McDaniel.
In Santa Clara County, popular water features like the fountains at Cesar Chavez Park in downtown San Jose remain off, plus city pools, libraries and community centers remain closed.
"With those not an option right now, we really want to reiterate some of those important things what residents can do to protect themselves," said Erica Ray, San Jose Fire Department's Public Information Manager.
"There's still 7,000 people out in the streets that have no place to go in a heat wave," said Sandy Perry, the President of the Affordable Housing Network of Santa Clara County.
But later Tuesday, that changed.
Concerned about seniors, children and the homeless, San Jose leaders announced the opening of five cooling centers for limited hours starting Tuesday night.
- Mayfair Community Center; 2039 Kammerer Ave. San José, CA 95116
- Camden Community Center; 3369 Union Ave. San José, CA 95124
- Seven Trees Community Center; 3590 Cas Dr. San José, CA 95111
- Roosevelt Community Center; 901 E. Santa Clara St. San José, CA 95111
- Cypress Community Center; 403 Cypress Ave. San José, CA 95117
The facilities will only be open during the heat of the day through Thursday for limited hours of operation:
Tuesday, May 26: 5:00-9:00 p.m.
Wednesday, May 27: 1:00-9:00 p.m.
Thursday, May 28: 1:00-7:00 p.m
From staffing to spacing, opening the facilities is complicated in the COVID-19 era.
"Do we have enough space? Can we host people six feet away from each other? Is the air conditioning on at the facility?" said Carolina Camparena with San Jose Parks & Recreation Department.
The cooling centers come with new rules that require visitors to wear a mask, stay six feet apart, and a health screening that includes a temperature check. Visitors are asked to stay home if they are sick or someone in their house is ill.
As for prevention, the San Jose Fire Department is advising people to stay indoors if possible, especially in the heat of the day and advising people to hydrate.
Firefighters responded last week to a distressed hiker in Almaden's Quicksilver Park.
"The water in the park was turned off and this hiker had gotten lost on the trail and didn't have adequate water with him to stay hydrated," said Ray.